Cuffed
by KateMB
Summary: What happens when Castle & Beckett wake up to find themselves handcuffed together? How do they pass the time waiting to be found? My take on 4x10, based on the sneak peeks.
1. PART 1

Darkness fills a vast room. Is this a basement? A storage room? A crypt, or maybe a dungeon? The darkness makes the room appear empty. If anything is in the room, it is still and quiet. Silence bounces of each wall, and not a peep can be detected of anything outside the room. This room is not cozy or warm. It is not the kind of place one would want to be trapped in. But if one were trapped with the right person, then anything could happen and the room wouldn't be so bothersome.

Soft lighting suddenly flickers on, though half the room is still covered in darkness. Two slumber bodies lie on a large gray mattress on the floor. They are certainly not there by choice, but they seem very content.

Beckett sleeps on her side close to Castle. Her head falls to his shoulder, and she briefly opens her eyes. Squinty, she makes out that it's Castle sleeping beside her. She feels his breathing and falls back to sleep, thinking that she's glad it's Castle in bed with her. Her body moves partially on top of his, her right hand resting on his chest. His right arm instinctively wraps around her.

Minutes later, Beckett smiles as she stirs awake and glances up at Castle. Her smile grows, and she thinks of how happy she is to have him in her life. She blinks several times to wake herself up, and she senses that this isn't right. How is it that she's in/on a bed with Castle?

Her face quickly turns to surprise and alarm as she notices how dark the room is. Then she notices the way she's lying with Castle. She lifts her head and scoots herself off of him. For a moment she thinks of how comfortable that position was, but she didn't want Castle seeing them like that. His arm remains around her, which she secretly likes, and she keeps her hand on his chest. She spots her other arm going around his neck and feels a cool metal against her hand. She also feels the warmth of Castle's hand and is puzzled. She looks to their hands and sees that they're handcuffed together. "Oh God, how did we end up like this," she wonders aloud.

Castle moans softly, finally starting to wake up. He mutters while tightening his grip on her, "Don't get up yet. Stay in bed."

She whispers his name loudly to get his attention: "Castle."

He opens his eyes and grins at the sight of her beautiful face. He's delighted that she's with him in bed, not thinking that anything's out of the ordinary. "Kate. Hi," he says, "What are you doing in my bed?"

"Look around, Castle," she exclaims, "We're not in your bed. And we're not in mine."

Castle's eyes roam the room, not really seeing anything, and he wonders, "Where the hell are we?"

Beckett glares at him and inquires, "Did you have anything to do with this?"

"With what," he asks while trying to move his left arm. He feels the cool metal and closeness of her hand to his. Her arm is pulled snugger around his neck, which he can't help but like. He turns his head and sees the handcuffs. "We're cuffed," he states. Smirking, he adds, "Kinky."

"Castle, this isn't funny," Beckett declares.

He replies, "Did I say 'funny'? No. I said 'kinky'." He notices how close she is to him and her hand on his chest. "Definitely kinky," he moans.

Beckett takes her hand away and demands, "Castle! Focus!"

"Sorry."

"And remove your hand from my waist."

"Yes. Of course." His arm drops to the mattress. "For the record," he says, "I had nothing to do with this. But did you?"

She rolls her eyes and pushes herself up. He follows suit, and soon they're both sitting up. They bring her arm forward over his head, and their cuffed hands rest on the mattress in the small space between them.

"You think I did this? Why would I do this," she says, "This isn't the place to be kinky."

A small smile forms on his face, and he responds, "Not the right place…"

She smiles briefly to herself. She takes pleasure in teasing him.

He continues more seriously, "Well, they look like police cuffs."

"You wish I did this. Someone did this to us."

"And they took my phone. And my watch," Castle complains, "I've got nothing on me."

"My phone, my watch, my badge, and my gun are all gone," Beckett informs him, "Stolen or just plain destroyed."

"Hopefully they don't use up my minutes or raise my bill."

"Castle!"

"Don't hate me for being funny."

She gives him a serious look and asks, "Where are we?"

Castle looks around and says, "I'd say a dark, creepy, abandoned basement where bad things happen."

He was being cute with her, so she gives him another look. "That's how it'd be in one of my books," he adds.

"Right," she responds, "So, neither of us knows how we got here."

"I just remember I was on my way home. I think I was close to my building and was grabbed from behind."

"And chloroformed," she suggests.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Me too," she says, "The last thing I remember is leaving the precinct. How long do you think we've been here? All night?"

"I don't know. Maybe," he answers. "Are you craving coffee?"

Beckett brings her hands to her forehead, forcing Castle to jerk closer to her, making him smile.

"I'm starting to," she replies, "Dammit."

"I'm sorry I don't have a cup for you," he says in her ear. She lowers her hands a bit to glance at him. Softly, she says, "Thanks." The physical closeness between them is almost too much to handle.

She puts her hands down, and he pulls back. "We should get up and investigate where we are," she states.

Castle grabs her hands, though crisscrossed, and declares, "We'll help each other up."

"On three," she says.

"One…" he begins.

"Two…" she continues.

"Three," they say in unison. They hold onto one another as they stand up together in front of the mattress. "How do we go about walking around," he asks.

She takes charge: "I stay in front of you and lead the way." She turns her back to him. "No funny business back there," she tells him.

Castle gasps, "I would never do anything without your permission." But oh, how he'd love to caress her under her shirt.

"Mmhmm." Beckett knows deep inside that she would enjoy whatever he'd do to her. If he touched her, it would drive her crazy.

They make their way around the room carefully, trying not to trip over each other. They inspect the walls and attempt to find a door or some sort of opening for them to escape. They search everywhere they can, but with no such luck in finding anything. She stares up at the ceiling to spot something, anything, while he notices something on the wall in front of them. He sets his left hand on the wall, forgetting about the handcuffs. His motion takes her by surprise, and she is jerked to the side as he runs his hand along the wall. She grunts, looks to their cuffed hands, and exclaims, "Don't forget we're cuffed."

"Oh! Sorry." He moves his hand back to his side and explains, "I thought I saw something out of place, but it's nothing."

She looks back at him and asks, "You think there's any way out of here?"

"If there isn't, I'm sure Ryan and Esposito will find us," Castle tries assuring her.

"Do you think they know we're missing yet?"

"Well, having no idea what time it is, I know eventually my mom and Alexis will see that I didn't come home. I'm sure they'll call the precinct after first trying my phone and yours. Don't worry, Kate. If we can't get out of here, we will be found."

Her cuffed hand grabs his, and she says, "I'm glad I'm not alone."

"Don't tell me you're scared," he says firmly, "The Kate Beckett I know would not be scared in a situation like this."

"I just hate that we haven't found a way out. I can't even see how we got put in here."

"There must be a secret camouflage door somewhere."

"Yes," she agrees, "But I couldn't detect any kind of door. And I'm a little off my game. Well, of course I am because we've been kidnapped. But…I need my coffee." She sighs and leans her head back against him.

Castle attempts to lighten the mood: "How dare they deprive you of coffee! Whoever did this should choke on coffee once we're found. When we get out of here I'll get you as much coffee as you want."

Beckett chuckles a bit and responds, "You're the only one who understands my need for coffee."

He grins and tells her, "Well, you'll have to forget about that beverage. Don't even mention it. Focus on something else, like me."

"Oh really?" She rolls her eyes and lifts up her head. She turns to look at him, and their eyes lock. She bites her lip sexily. He has to look away because her lip biting is something that drives him wild. "Maybe we should figure out who did this to us. Who would kidnap us and cuff us together," she asks.

"I have no idea," he replies, resuming eye contact with her, "Maybe it's someone who desperately wants us to be completely alone with a bed and talk things out and see how far we go."

"No, Castle. No."

"Speaking of the bed, can we sit back down? I promise no funny business."

She nods and lets go of his hand. They try backing up away from the wall, and she steps on his feet a few times. "Could you please stop stepping on me," he says, annoyed by how complicated it is to move around.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," she says raising her cuffed hand to brush back some hair from her face. His hand moves too, throwing him slightly off balance. "Don't forget we're cuffed," he says. She sighs and apologizes again.

"Stop moving. I have an idea," he says. "Now, just hear me out."

Oh boy, she thinks, what could it be? "What?"

"You reach behind and put your hands on my waist, and I'll put my hands on yours. And we'll make our way back to the bed."

She moans, "Hmmm," considering his idea. Then she nods and says, "Alright." He sets his hands on her waist, and they feel gentle, yet firm at the same time. She bites her lip and feels more relaxed but realizes her cuffed hand can't quite reach his waist. Instead, she covers his hands with hers. "I can't reach your waist. I guess we'd have to be pressed together, which would not work for walking." He notices that she didn't entirely dismiss the idea of their bodies being pressed together. "Right," he says, taking a deep breath. Her waist feels nice and soft, and her lovely hands keeping his in place on her… Focus Castle, he demands in his head.

They slowly, quietly turn and make their way back to the mattress. Once there, she feels awkward about how they'll actually sit back down, but he quickly grips her tighter and pulls her down with him. She bumps into him, almost landing on his lap. They take their hands away almost immediately, and Beckett states, "That worked well."

Castle raises their arms and falls back on the bed, bringing her with him. She falls beside him, and their cuffed hands rest above their heads. They both sigh and stare at the ceiling. He's trying to figure out who could have kidnapped them while she searches for something odd about the ceiling.

"Maybe someone wanted us out of the way. Whoever it is heard how great we are together and didn't want us catching them," Castle says, "And I'm not trying to sound cute or funny. I'm serious. We have a great partnership."

"Hmm. Maybe someone we've put in jail warned their buddy on the outside about us," Beckett responds.

"Exactly," he agrees, "I can't imagine who else would kidnap us."

"Can you see anything on the ceiling that might be a door," she asks.

"The ceiling in pretty high," he answers, "It's hard to tell."

"Yeah, and it's also dark." She closes her eyes and imagines being anywhere but here. More specifically, the precinct – the place where she can be in control and figure out all the facts of a case. Being stuck in this dark room, she feels helpless and frustrated.

Castle looks over at her, and he can tell just how out-of-her-element she is being trapped in here. He doesn't feel as frustrated as her because he's lucky to be stuck with her. And handcuffed to her? Even better. It could've been Ryan or Esposito with him instead, and that would be 100% awkward.

Beckett opens her eyes to see him staring at her. "I was just imagining being back at the precinct. I'd rather be there solving a case…"

"Than here with me," he wonders, "It's not so bad, is it?"

She flashes him a smile and replies, "No, its' not. It's just…"

"I know. It's hard being stuck in here and you don't have your phone or your gun or anything to help you get out of here or figure out why we're here."

"It's frustrating," she says, "And I don't know what to do, really."

"I guess all we can do is wait to be found. I don't know," he tells her, "But what I do know is that you have me. As least you're not in here alone because then, I'd worried like hell about you."

"Yes, you would. And you'd be useless to find me because you care about me too much. Gates wouldn't want you around." She takes a breath before she notices her back starting to itch. And it's itching crazily. She begins sitting up and tells him to do the same. She reaches her right hand around to her lower back and scratches furiously. "My back is, like, insanely itchy," she informs him.

She reaches under her shirt to scratch it, and he warns her, "Don't make it worse." She stops scratching and says worriedly, "It doesn't feel right. There's a bump back there."

"You want me to take a look," he asks.

"Would you please," she says, grabbing his hands so they can help each other up again.

He grips her hands, and they stand back up. He steps back about as far away as he can and sets his cuffed hand on her hip. His right hand lifts her shirt, and he spies a red area on her lower back right above the lining of her jeans. He kneels down to get a better view and runs a few fingers on the area. Meanwhile, she breathes deeply, partially enjoying his hand on her skin and partially in agony because the area is still itchy. "There's a small bump," he alerts her, "Very small."

"Where the hell did that come from," she asks, annoyed.

"Could it be an allergic reaction," he suggests.

"To chloroform? Or whatever they did to knock us out?"

"It could be one person who did this," he says.

"My gut's telling me there's more than one," she says.

Castle ogles her back and takes in the sight of her skin. He runs his hand past the area, moving along her waist, as he says, "It's probably just a reaction."

"Yeah," she whispers, her body quivering from his touch.

"Still itchy?"

"Yes," she says assuredly. She gasps very softly when he rubs the irritated area gently, not wanting it to worsen it from scratching. His touch is so simple, but it has such an affect on her! She imagines what it'd be like for his hands to be all over her. She chokes on her breath a bit; her coughing lets her regain her composure. "Thanks, Castle," she says, "It's feeling better."

He doesn't let it show, but it's a thrill for him to be touching her back and waist. She feels so soft and smooth, and her back is breath-taking. He wonders what it'd be like to fondle more of her. He lingers longer than he should, but she never complains or demands him to stop. He smiles at being allowed to touch her like that. He takes a deep breath and reaches for her shoulders as he stands up. "You want to sit down again? Or lie down," he asks.

She bites her lip and answers, "Yeah. Sure. Lie down."

They sit down and fall back on the mattress. It's more comfortable for their cuffed hands to rest over their heads.

"Castle, if I had to be trapped in some dark, empty dungeon, then I'm glad I'm trapped with you," Beckett says, "I can't imagine being here alone." He smiles and thinks that every time she says 'Castle', his heart beats a little faster. His smile grows when she says, "I feel safer with you. You have my back no matter what happens wherever we are."

He gazes at her and says, "Always." She locks eyes with him and repeats, "Always." That word melts her heart, and she feels at peace. A small smile forms on her face, and she adds, "I always have your back too." She moves closer to him and reaches across herself to grasp his arm. She takes a few deep breaths and says, "I think I can finally be honest with you."


	2. PART 2

"Honest about what?" He glances down at her hand holding onto him.

She rolls on her side to look at him and grips his arm tighter to get him to sit up with her. Her cuffed hand rests on his knee while her right hand holds his cuffed one. She takes another deep breath and stares into his eyes. "I know how you feel about me. I remember what you said when I was shot," she confesses, "I had to deal with so much, and those three words complicated things. I didn't want our relationship to change."

He stares back at her, his mouth drops, and he manages to say, "Wow. You heard me. You remember…"

"I've been in therapy, and I'm at the point where I'm ready to move forward from my mother's murder. You are part of that, but I'm scared of how everything will change."

"Don't be, Kate," he assures her, "We'll still be excellent partners." He pauses to think through all that she has admitted to him. "When did you remember," he asks.

She looks away from him and says, "Don't be angry." She takes a breath and answers, "I knew right away. I remembered everything shortly after waking up in the hospital." She looks back at him. "Everything."

He runs the fingers of his right hand over her face. "I can't be angry. I know you've had a wall up and have been living your life dedicated to your mother's murder. You have a lot to sort out. I just can't believe…all this time… You've known how I feel."

"Rick, whatever happens, we have to take it slow," she says, "But being here… Who knows how long we'll be in here or if we'll ever make it out…"

"Do not think like that. You're stronger than that."

"But just in case… I had to tell you."

They stare deeply into each other's eyes. Beckett bites her lip and scans his lips. Her eyes return to see that his are staring at her lips. "I'll be honest with you too," he says.

"Oh?" She very curious as to what he needs to tell her.

Castle looks her in the eye again and tells her, "The way you bite your lip is very sexy."

She blushes and replies, "I always knew you liked that." She leans in to his ear. "That's why I do it." She pulls back to see him smirking. A flirty grin spreads over her face, and he says, "There must be something I do that you think is sexy."

"Well, hmmm… Let me think," she says, even though she already knows her answer. "Everything," she whispers and bites her lip again.

"Ooooh, you're easy to please," he says softly.

She laughs, letting her head fall forward onto his shoulder. There is no better sound than her laughter. Lifting her head, she replies, "You really have no idea, Castle. Rick."

"You can call me Castle all you want," he tells her, "I love how it sounds."

Suddenly, her stomach growls, and they both chuckle. "God, we've been here for hours. You don't happen to have a candy bar or something on you, do you," she says.

"We're out of luck," he responds.

"When we get out of here, I'm buying you a huge dinner," she declares.

"And dessert," he wonders hopefully.

"What would you prefer," she asks.

"You and something chocolaty," he answers.

"Mmm, chocolate sounds good," she agrees.

"Chocolate cake or a huge chocolate chip cookie with lots of icing," he recommends.

"Okay, stop talking about food. You're making me hungrier," she commands.

"Yeah, me too," he says. He brushes some hair behind her ears while gazing into her eyes. She gazes back, and they become lost together as their eye contact is extremely intense. They don't need words to convey their joint desire to kiss.

Beckett leans in close, her mouth mere inches from touching his. "Do you dare kiss me," Castle asks. "I want to take things slow, and there's no going back once we kiss," she replies.

"We could still take things very slow," he assures her, "Just…when alone in our spare time, we'll kiss. A lot. Preferably with tongue."

"You're being very irresistible."

"Aren't I always?"

"Always," she whispers, knowing that word means so much to them. She glances at his lips. Throwing caution to the wind, she kisses him. Soft and tender, he follows her slow pace, not wanting to rush her into anything. She surprises him by kissing him more urgently and beckoning his mouth to open with her tongue. He opens his mouth, and their tongues meet, causing them both to moan deeply. His right hand travels to her waist, gripping her tightly. Her cuffed hand clutches his knee firmly while her right hand grabs his shirt collar. Their tongues wrestle furiously as they enjoy kissing each other more than they could have ever imagined. The kiss they shared once when they were on the job undercover pales in comparison to this. They cannot get enough of each other.

Needing air, Beckett breaks away breathlessly. "Castle," she whispers, "Wow…" If kissing him was that amazing, she thinks, just imagine what sex with him could be like.

"Kate…" He's just as breathless as she is and cannot believe he just got to kiss the woman he loves in the way he has always wanted to. He falls back on the mattress, bringing her with him. This time, she lands against him and wraps her arm around his neck. They remain silent while catching their breaths.

Castle ends the silence: "That was slow?"

"Well, no," she clarifies, "I couldn't help myself."

"Right," he says. He takes a breath, and a huge grin forms on his face. "Can I just be excited for a moment?" She lifts her head to look at him, and he continues, "I can't believe we just kissed!" She starts giggling and buries her head in his chest. "Me neither," she says.

"Could we kiss again," he asks. "It's not like we have anything better to do."

"And it's not like we're going anywhere anytime soon," she adds, lifting up her head again. "But we're taking things slow," she says seriously.

"But we're also kissing in our spare time. Just kissing."

"Castle, this is not spare time. We've been kidnapped, and we need to find a way out." She looks back up at the ceiling. "Maybe you can lift me on your shoulders, and I can get a better view up there."

"Yeah, let's try it." They sit up and hold onto each other while standing. She stands in front of him, and tells him, "Don't let me fall."

"That won't happen," he says, kneeling down behind her. She opens her legs a bit for him to move his head through. He holds onto her thighs tightly as he stands up carefully, raising her on his shoulders. Her cuffed hand covers his partially, and she wonders aloud, "I'm not too heavy, am I?"

He hesitates before answering, "No! Not at all. You're as light as a feather."

She rolls her eyes, thinking he didn't sound convincing enough.

"Where to," he asks.

They make their way around while being careful not to lose their balance. They end up on the right side of the room, where it's still dark. In a corner, she thinks she sees a square lining that might be a door. With the ceiling so high, how would someone have gotten them down here?

"I think I found a door," she informs him. "If only I could touch it and try to open it."

"We are not that tall, and I am not stepping on my tippy toes."

"No! Don't do that," she says, "There's no way to reach it."

"Then how could they have put us down here," he wonders.

Just then they hear noises from up above, and it's sounding more and more like someone being chased. "Could that be Ryan or Esposito chasing the guy who put us down here," Beckett asks.

"But if there were more than one person who did this…"

"There could be one guy in charge and is keeping watch over us. Anyone else involved could have just been working for him. Or her," she divulges.

Castle takes a deep breath as he continues to keep her steady on him. They stay quiet, hoping to hear a familiar voice. The chase continues, but the noise dies away. They think they hear footsteps get closer to them. She calls out, "Is anyone up there? HELLO?"

They hear the muffled yelling of Ryan: "Beckett, you down there?"

"YES, WE'RE HERE! Castle and I are down here! Get us out!"

They hear a gunshot at the door and are relieved when the door opens. "Thank God," Beckett says when she's sees Ryan's face. He looks puzzled, and she explains, "We figured out how to get a look at the ceiling."

"We found the door," Castle states.

"Just as we nabbed the guy holding you here and found the door ourselves. Esposito took care of him with backup's help. The guy had plenty of other guys working for him," Ryan says.

"They knocked us out with something. Chloroform probably. We woke up on a bed handcuffed."

"To each other," Castle clarifies.

Ryan smirks and wonders, "Handcuffed to each other? Hmm, are you sure neither of you had anything to do with this?"

Beckett gives him a look and says, "Could you get us out of here now?"

"Yeah, let me drop you a key to uncuff yourselves, and we'll find a way to get you out of there," Ryan tells them.

***_PAGE BREAK_***

Castle walks Beckett to her door. They came from Castle's place, where they had dinner with his mother and daughter, whom had a great laugh over them being handcuffed. His mother suggested one of them had something to do with it, much like Ryan had.

"What a day," Castle says.

"I know," Beckett replies, "Do you think anyone noticed that things are different between us?"

"My mother and daughter are very smart," he says, "We can't hide anything from them."

"Well, I don't want us telling anyone what really happened. We don't need Gates finding out. But also, I still need time. Time in therapy. Time to learn who I am since I cannot be defined by my mother's murder anymore."

"So, we take it slow," he reassures her, "It'll be just between us."

"I appreciate that." She unlocks and opens her door. She steps inside and turns to him in the doorway. "Thank you, Rick. For giving me time, for keeping me going today, for keeping me sane… Thank you for…being you."

"Always," he says simply, making her smile sweetly. Their eyes lock and can't seem to break free. Their eye contact is usually intense.

"You didn't have to escort me home," she says, going inside and letting him in. He shuts the door behind him.

"Well, I had to make sure you got home safely." He watches as she disappears to her bedroom to empty her pockets and remove her watch. All of their personal belongings were found during the search for them.

"Of course you did," she says, returning to him, "You're very protective. Even though you don't always have to be with me." There's an awkward silence between them for a few moments. She walks to him, and they stand close beside her kitchen island. "I don't mean to be so forward, and don't let this go to your head, but…" She stares at him intently. "Could you stay with me?"

He lets out of a soft gasp and responds, "All night?"

"Don't get excited," she says, "It's just… This has been a long day together. And… Is it crazy that a part of me doesn't want it to end?" She runs her fingers through his hair, and he answers, "If it is, then I'm just as crazy as you are." She grins and kisses his cheek.

"May I kiss you," he asks, trying not to sound eager.

She pulls back and slides a finger seductively across his lips. "Maybe later," she says.

"Maybe? What about the kissing in our free time?"

She pulls back further and says, "I never agreed to that." She tried to sound serious, but he can see in her eyes that she was playing with him.

He grabs her wrist, pulling her close, and whispers, "Oh, I think you did. You just never said it. You didn't have to."

She sets her other hand on his face and places a very soft, warm kiss on his lips. This causes him to let go of her wrist. She smiles sexily and says, "I'm gonna go change." Walking back to her bedroom, she calls out, "Help yourself if you're thirsty. Or just relax on the couch."

Castle takes his jacket off and puts his wallet and watch in the pockets. He drapes his jacket over the back of the couch and sits down to wait for her. He kicks his shoes off and leans back, shutting his eyes. He reflects on all that happened between them in that dungeon.

Meanwhile, Beckett strips off her shoes, sweater, jeans, and bra. She leaves her black panties on and opens her closet to find just the right nightshirt. She slips on a smooth, long-sleeve, black nightshirt. She opts not to wear the matching pants and buttons up the shirt but leaves the bottom and top buttons undone. She enters her bathroom to wash her face and comb her hair a little. She checks herself out and smiles, satisfied that he'll like how she looks.

She keeps the nightstand lamp on in her bedroom and emerges to observe him resting on the couch. She sneaks over to him and sits on his lap, throwing her arms around his neck and swinging her feet onto the couch. He opens his eyes and grins at her. "Hi," he says sexily, running a hand down her back. He sets his other hand on her knees.

"Hi," she whispers in his ear. She presses her forehead against the side of his head and chuckles softly. "I don't think I have anything for you to change into."

"You'll have to be okay with me in boxers, which luckily I'm wearing," he says, "I've been known to wear boxer briefs on occasion."

She lets out a soft moan and continues holding him close. "I don't think I could handle boxer briefs," she whispers.

"No, you couldn't." He runs a hand up her thigh slowly as he wonders, "So, what do you wear under your clothes?"

She pulls her head back exclaiming, "Hey, hey, watch that hand, Castle!"

His hand returns to her knee, and he responds, "You can't blame a guy from trying." He gives her a smile and says, "As much as I'm loving this, I feel very overdressed."

She moves off of him, grabs his shirt collar, and leans in to his ear. "I'd help with that, but I don't think I'd be able to control myself." She lets go of him and watches as his mouth drops. "You enjoy teasing me, don't you," he replies.

"I'll never admit to that," she says seriously before yawning. She stretches her arms while yawning and watches as he gets up. He undoes his pants while walking into her bedroom. Inside, he removes them and his socks. She tiptoes to the doorway to watch him slip off his shirt. He feels her eyes on him, and he turns just in time to catch her biting her lip and checking him out. She smiles innocently at him and says, "Blue. Nice."

"Not as nice as what you're wearing."

She goes to the bed to pull back the covers and then walks over to him and says, "Before getting into bed, I have to do this…" She slides her hand to the back of his neck and pulls him into a passionate kiss. He wraps his arms around her, and she moans ardently when he lifts her up to bring her to his level. She instinctively wraps her legs around him. He moans deeply at the feel of her tongue pushing past his lips into his mouth. Their tongues duel for a few moments as they both moan repeatedly. Their kissing slows down and becomes more loving than urgent. Their eyes lock fiercely; their strong feelings for each other are evident.

He carries her to the bed and sits her down, still kissing her. He forces himself to pull away, but he kisses her cheek before going around to the other side.

They slide into bed, lie on their sides facing one another, and pull the covers up. "I'm glad that area on your back turned out to be nothing," he says.

"Me too," she replies.

"And how cool is it that I was right about who the kidnapper was? You know, it was someone who wanted us out of the way while he plotted the perfect crime."

"Only it wasn't so perfect. And you think you were right?"

"Ah, yes. Because I was."

"No, you weren't. I'm the one who said that," Beckett says.

"No! No… It was me," Castle insists.

She sighs and says, "Maybe we're both right. Can we drop it?"

"Yes," he says, "But tomorrow I can't promise anything."

She laughs softly while shaking her head, knowing they'll return to this little dispute tomorrow. She leans forward to kiss him quickly yet sweetly.

"You're not ready to hear how I feel about you again, are you," he asks seriously.

She glances down, not wanting to hurt him. "No, I'm not." Her eyes return to his. "I know how you feel. I could never forget." He smiles, and she continues, "You'll know when I'm ready. I'm sorry you have to wait and that I can't say those three words back to you."

"I have hope that someday you will," he says softly. She smiles and nods her head. He rolls on his back against the pillows, yawning, and opens his arm for her to snuggle up to him. Her head lies on his chest as her hand runs down and up his other arm gently. He holds her snugly against him. He grins, feeling beyond amazed and fortunate to be in a real bed holding the woman he loves. This day turned out to be the greatest day ever, he thinks. She is thinking the same thing.

She reaches up to kiss his neck and says, "I'd love to keep talking, but I'm so sleepy." She yawns, which causes him to yawn also. "Me too," he replies. He raises his hand to stroke her head and run his fingers through her hair. "I've always wanted to feel your hair," he says, "It's beautiful."

She smiles sweetly and responds, "I'm sure there are many things you've been wanting."

"You know me too well," he says, running his hand down her back to relax on her waist.

They don't care if the lamp remains on as they grow more tired and eventually close their eyes. "Goodnight, Rick," she whispers. "Until tomorrow, Kate," he replies. She moans with content, and soon they are both asleep. This is probably the best night's sleep they've ever gotten in a long time, besides the sleeping they did when they were handcuffed, but that was involuntarily.

Something weighs down on Beckett's mind that invades her dreams and eventually wakes her up after two in the morning. She lies more on top of Castle and raises her head to look at the alarm clock and then at him. She remembers how things have changed between them and what she dreamed about. She smiles, thinking that he looks so peaceful and cute when asleep. She would not say the words for a while, but she had to speak them now, knowing there's absolutely no chance he could hear her. "I love you," she whispers, and she could swear that a tiny smile grows on his face. He's probably dreaming, she thinks. She settles back down and is quickly asleep again.

Whatever comes the next day and every day after, their relationship has changed for the better. No matter how slow they take it… They'll be happier. They already feel happier. And they both know it.


End file.
